Bozeman, Montana

 

Wednesday  – Sunday

August 12th – 16th 2026

 

Registration open April 1

 

Recover the person you were meant to be!

“So much healing takes place in nature… we are nature. When we consciously choose to heal in this environment with other like-minded individuals, it has an amplified effect. And it can be a LOT of FUN!”

– Paul Churchill

 

Learn the tools for a successful alcohol-free life. Laugh, connect with others and start creating the next chapter of your life.

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Connect with other like minded individuals

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Learn how to live an alcohol-free life

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Explore different recovery approaches in a hands on environment

Quitting drinking is the just the beginning. Then it’s more about creating a life where alcohol is no longer needed opposed to staying away from it. At this event, you’ll figure out your next pathway on your alcohol-journey or reinforce what’s currently working. You’ll begin to realize that you can do this… and it doesn’t have to suck. In fact, it can be a lot of fun. You’ll see that life without alcohol is possible and the answer has been inside you the whole time. There is something magical about the wind in the pine trees in Big Sky country. Come listen and find out for yourself…

Your Retreat includes

Accommodations

Attendees will stay in a large comfortable, cozy, and clean cabin or camp on the grass lawn. Fall asleep to the sound of crickets and breathe in the fresh, crisp Big Sky air.

Food and Drink

Retreat includes 3 healthy meals, snacks, tea and coffee. Vegetarian options available each meal. Specialty diets are available at an additional cost.

Sound Healing

Sound vibrations are powerful and healing. We’re going old school with campfiure sing alongs. Did someone say Green Day? Get your vocal chords warmed up!

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Workshops

Learn the keys to an alcohol-free life, get your journal on, OWN your story, locate the breath, and join us on a nature walk with the Recovery Elevator Goats!

2026 Bozeman Retreat Itinerary (*Changes may occur*)

Wednesday, August 12th
3:00 PM – 5:45 PM Check-in and Happy Hour at the Dusty Saloon
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM Dinner
7:30 PM – 8:30 PM Orientation
8:30 PM – 9:15 PM Evening Debrief Groups

Thursday, August 13th
7:00 AM – 8:00 AM Sunrise Yoga, Fitness class, or Meditation
8:15 AM – 9:15 AM Breakfast
9:30 AM – 10:15 AM RE Unite
10:30 AM – 11:15 AM Workshop 1: Rapid Fire with Kris Oyen
11:30 AM – 12:15 PM Share Groups
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM Lunch
1:45 PM – 2:45 PM Workshop 2: You Belong Here: Learning to Trust Your Emotions and Inner Wisdom in Recovery with Erin Amundson
3:00 PM – 4:15 PM Laser Tag or Free Time
4:30 PM – 5:45 PM Share Groups
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM Dinner
7:15 PM – 8:00 PM Evening Debrief Groups
8:00 PM – 10:00 PM Campfire and S’mores

Friday, August 14th
6:45 AM – 7:45 AM Sunrise Yoga, Fitness class, or Meditation
8:00 AM – 8:45 AM Breakfast
9:00 AM – 9:45 AM RE Unite
10:00 AM – 11:15 AM Workshop 3: Connecting with Food with Fanny Slater from the AMC Food Network
11:45 AM – 12:30 PM Head Palisade Falls Hike trailhead (Bring RE shirt for photo and sack lunch)
12:30 PM – 1:45 PM Palisade Falls Hike
3:00 PM – 5:30 PM Lake Hangout – Swim, float, play, and hike
5:30 PM – 5:50 PM Return to Camp
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM Dinner
7:15 PM – 8:15 PM Share Groups
8:30 PM – 10:00 PM Board Games, Campfire, and S’mores
9:00 PM – 10:00 PM Yoga Nidra

Saturday, August 15th
6:00 AM – 6:50 AM Coffee Educational with Rise Up Coffee Owner Noah Kegley
7:00 AM – 8:00 AM Sunrise Yoga, Fitness class, or Meditation
8:15 AM – 9:00 AM Breakfast
9:15 AM – 10:45 AM RE Unite & Group Dance
11:00 AM – 12:10 AM Kickball
12:15 PM – 1:00 PM Lunch
1:15 PM – 2:15 PM Share Groups
2:30 PM – 5:30 PM Workshop 4: Breathwork with Odette Cressler
6:00 PM – 6:45 PM Dinner
7:00 PM – 8:15 PM Silent Disco
8:30 PM – 10:00 PM Open Mic, Photo Booth, Campfire and S’mores

Sunday, August 16th
8:00 AM – 8:45 AM Breakfast
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM Closeout
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM Pack up, Hugs and Departure

Cancellation policy
Full refunds will be processed until 7 pm EST on Friday, July 10th, 2026.
All but $500 will be refunded up until 7 pm EST on Monday, July 27th, 2026.
No refund will be processed after 7 pm EST on Monday, July 27th, 2026.

Alcohol-Free Requirement
We require attendees to be at least 15 days away from their last drink

Check out this group of AF rockstars from our 2025 retreat in Bozeman. Photo credits @Kris Oyen

Recovery Elevator Sober retreat

Meet your Retreat Leaders

Odette Cressler Recovery Elevator

Paul Churchill is the Recovery Elevator podcast host and author of the best-selling book Dolce Vita: Ditch the Booze and Step into the Good Life. With over 10 million downloads, his podcast has become a trusted resource for those seeking an alcohol-free life. In his eleven years away from alcohol, Paul has learned that connection and accountability are vital to sustaining sobriety, and he feels that fun with a capital F is required to depart from any learned behavior that is negatively impacting our lives. Beyond hosting conversations about recovery, Paul brings the party to life as a member of Uprise, the house band that performs daily throughout the retreat. Music has always been a cornerstone of his recovery journey, and he loves creating an energetic, uplifting atmosphere where people can let loose and celebrate their alcohol-free lives together.
In his free time, Paul likes to hang out with his family, his dog Ben, and his six goats 🐐! He recognizes it was his “drinking problem” that gifted him the most incredible life. Go figure.

Odette Cressler Recovery Elevator

My name is Odette.  I share a home with my husband, my two kids, one dog and one cat. I like saying “recovery runs in my family”. My dad is 15 years sober and I have been in eating disorder recovery for bulimia for over a decade. I started developing a complicated relationship with alcohol in 2017 and that is when I found Recovery Elevator. I am one of those people that had to change the question from: “am I an alcoholic?” to “is alcohol affecting my life negatively?”. I genuinely believe that if we do not get to the root of our emotional disease, we will continue to seek comfort in alcohol or any other behaviour or substance that can help us numb out the pain or avoid reality. Recently, I got certified to become a breathwork therapy facilitator as this practice has allowed me to sync my mind with my body and my soul. Integrating embodiment practices into my recovery has allowed me to really integrate everything that I have learned in therapy and in all of the literature I have read for yours. I am excited to be teaching during this course!

Odette Cressler Recovery Elevator

Kris Oyen has been a leader in the Recovery Elevator and  community Café RE since 2017. His light and guidance have helped thousands quit drinking. He was a Recovery Elevator podcast co-host for over two years and he is still on the podcast production team- wiki wiki! He reached a definitive moment in his life where he realized alcohol had to go. The writing was on the wall. His wife left him, and he was living in a camper… a true country western song. We feel he has one of the most remarkable stories we’ve heard, which represents the signifcant level of change we are capable of as human beings. You can hear Kris’ full story on episode 278 of the podcast.

Odette Cressler Recovery Elevator

Erin is a sober psychotherapist who specializes in working with the subconscious mind. On Thursday, she’ll lead a workshop called –  You Belong Here: Learning to Trust Your Emotions and Inner Wisdom in Recovery. She owns a private practice, leads retreats and workshops for clients and teaches continuing education for other therapists. Through sobriety, she was able to grow professionally, mentally, spiritually and emotionally in ways that once were unimaginable. Erin now gives back by teaching and volunteering when she can for the RE community and attending as many in person meetups as possible to support others on the sober path. She also developed a curriculum on emotional sobriety and shares this in sober and non-sober communities helping others grow into their most authentic selves. Erin understands the struggle and also knows the joy that sobriety offers, and would love to help you on your path.

Odette Cressler Recovery Elevator

Fanny Slater is a Food Network alum turned sobriety mentor, with a background in recipe development, food writing, and social media marketing. She’s a longtime listener of the Recovery Elevator podcast and shared her story on episode 508. One year after it aired, she reached out to see if her professional skill set could be useful to the team — at the same time Paul was exploring ways to strengthen the podcast’s marketing efforts. Since then, Fanny has volunteered her time helping spread the word about the podcast and the Recovery Elevator community. Fanny lives in Wilmington, North Carolina with her wife and their three fur babies. She works as a social media strategist and content creator, won a national cooking competition on The Rachael Ray Show in 2014, and later published her cookbook Orange, Lavender & Figs with Simon & Schuster.  Alcohol-free for over five years, Fanny brings honesty, humor, and real-life perspective to the sober conversation. At the retreat, she’ll help facilitate community connection and lead a session focused on reconnecting with food through memory and nostalgia — inviting participants to rediscover the playful, present joy many of us remember from childhood, before alcohol pulled us away from ourselves.

With Special Musical Guest Uprise

Recovery Elevator elevator band uprise Paul Churchill

Come party in the great outdoors!

Recovery Elevator Sobriety retreat

FAQ

What will this retreat be like?

This retreat is FUN. Sure there will be challenging times like at any retreat, but it’s geared towards showing you that a life without alcohol can involve joy, smiles, and lots of laughter. There will be personal breakthroughs, there may be tears, lifelong connections will be made, and it’s all going to take place outside of your comfort zone.

You’ll have free time to walk in the forest, journal, and connect with others.

Since we feel community and connection are key to departing from alcohol, we’ll be doing a lot of group work. At times, all campers (yep, just like summer camp as a kid) will meet, and then you may find yourself in a smaller group session with 8-10 others. We have plans for male/female breakout sessions, and you may be paired with a “camp buddy” as well. We try our best to be creative with group pairings to provide the best scenario for connection.

We’ll do a group excursion to a local favorite somewhere in nature! In 2021 we rented a pavilion at a lake, hiked in nature, and did some dancing by grill!

What is the cancellation policy?
Full refunds will be processed until 7 pm EST on Friday, July 10th, 2026.
All but $500 will be refunded up until 7 pm EST on Monday, July 27th, 2026.
No refund will be processed after 7 pm EST on Monday, July 27th, 2026.

 

What are the accommodations like?

Accommodations are simple, modern, sleek, and cozy. Open a window, and you’ll sleep to the soundtrack of nature and crickets! Beds come with linens, a blanket, and a pillow.

Ladies – The large cabin is dedicated to females, and each room (8 total) consists of 6 bunk beds with a queen bed in the middle for luggage and storage. Note*** – Due to Covid, we will only be placing 6 females in the rooms instead of 8. Each room has 1 shower and 1 separate bathroom.

Men – “I call top bunk”! There are 4 rooms with 10 bunks but we are only selling 7 beds per cabin due to COVID.  There are bathrooms and showers inside the rooms.

Camping – Campers are given a 10′ x 10′ camping space on a large grass lawn. Campers have access to bathrooms and showers within walking distance. Please bring a headlamp. We do not rent camping supplies so please bring your own camping gear.

 

How do I get to the retreat center? Is there parking at the facility?

There are several ways to meet us for check-in and the Dusty Saloon social from 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM Wednesday, August 9th.

First off, here’s the address.
Yellowstone Alliance Adventure
13707 Cottonwood Canyon Rd
Bozeman, MT 59718

You can take an Uber or Lyft from the Bozeman International Airport, which should take 35-45 minutes. If you plan on arriving a day or two early or want to explore Montana after the retreat, then renting a car is a great option.

If you’d like to share an uber or coordinate a ride with someone else, please email kmac@recoveryelevator.com. We can’t guarantee we’ll find you a riding partner, but we’ll do our best!

If you’re driving on your own, there is parking at the retreat facility.

Are there vegetarian, vegan or gluten free dining options?

Each meal contains meat and a vegetarian option. 

There is a $75 per person fee for gluten-free and vegan options. We will send out a google form requesting this information about 4 weeks before the retreat start date.

Is this a 12-step based retreat?

No, not at all. This is a non 12 step based alcohol-free retreat that pulls resources and tools from all different kinds of programs. There may be references to 12 step programs, but Recovery Elevator is in no way affiliated with any programs. At past Bozeman retreats, during free time, there have been pop up A.A. meetings which we think is great ?

Is this a spiritual retreat?

This retreat can be as spiritual as you’d like. We will have a specific workshop and talks guided towards spirituality, and will purposefully place you in situations where you can connect with spirit. Much of this work is done with the breath. You may hear an occasional reference to GOD but this isn’t a religious retreat.

What to pack?

Pack for warm days, cool nights and clothes for light to moderate outdoor activity. We will be doing some hiking (optional) (walking shoes are fine) and visiting a lake.  Please bring these specific items: Water bottle, sunscreen, swimsuit, towel, bug spray, a notebook or journal, eyemask (for breathwork), and headlamp. If you’re camping, please prepare for colder nights and the possibility of rain.

What are the workshops like?

We’re currently working on the 2024 workshops, speakers, and activities. The itinerary will be updated as the event gets nearer.

At past retreats, we’ve done the following. You may see some of the same at this event: sunrise yoga, Brain Spotting (trauma workshop), Somatics Therapy (releasing stored energy), group meditations, spirituality talks, walks in nature with goats, campfire sing-along songs, using alternative narratives to depart from your story, AF Olympics, scavenger hunts, AF Nutrition 101, Healthy Routines, creating healthy schedules, group shares (individuals share their stories to small groups), open mic night, karaoke, silent disco, dance party, and so much more.

What do my flight times need to be?

Check-in and the Dusty Saloon social are from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM on Wednesday, August 6th. Please book flights so you can arrive at the event on Wednesday during these times. If you land in the Yellowstone International airport before 4:30 PM, you should have no problem making it there before 6 PM. Please let us know if your flight arrives later so we can be expecting you.

We recommend booking a departure flight after 12:30 pm on Sunday, August 10th. The retreat will close out at 10:00 AM on Sunday, and you should be able to make it to the airport by 11:00 AM.

Some people have to leave early Sunday morning which is okay, but please do your best to stay for the closing ceremony.

 

Yellowstone Alliance Adventure
13707 Cottonwood Canyon Rd
Bozeman, MT 59718

If you need to arrive a day early or stay an extra day, here are some hotels we recommend.

Sweet, summer camp in the Rockies! Zip line, rock climbing, and rafting!

Yes, these activities are a blast, but are not part of the itinerary. The schedule is full of workshops geared towards learning how to lead a successful life in recovery but we will be doing some hiking and exploring. We highly recommend you add a couple of days to your trip to experience all the Big Sky Country has to offer.

Is there an alcohol-free requirement?

We ask that all attendees have at least 15 days from their last drink. However, we understand that “life happens” and you shouldn’t cancel. We do require that all withdrawal symptoms have passed before attending this retreat as there aren’t trained medical professionals on staff to assist with the detoxification process of alcohol.

Can spouses or significant others attend?

This specific retreat is geared towards those who are actively working on quitting drinking and spouses or significant others are not invited to attend. Your spouse will be awaiting a new you upon return!

What kind of physical activities can we expect to see?

We won’t be scaling Denali, but we will do a couple shorter hikes, perhaps some lawn games and some other old school summer camp games. No need to purchase hiking boots or trekking poles for this retreat. All hikes are optional and there are activities planned for those who don’t want to hike.

Do I have to attend all the workshops?

All workshops are optional, however, we highly recommend you attend as many as possible.

Can I stay at a hotel and attend the retreat during the day?

In order for you to get the full benefit of the Recovery Elevator retreat, we require all attendees to stay at the retreat facility.

Check out pics from our 2024 retreat in Bozeman

Recovery Elevator alcohol-free retreat